JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, R-Seneca, today released the following statement in response to a report issued by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick examining the condition of the state’s General Revenue Fund.
“Today, the State Auditor, Scott Fitzpatrick, released a report on the condition of the state’s General Revenue Fund. His analysis confirms what I have said both in private and public comments over the past year about the long-term condition of the state budget. Specifically, the concern about a structural deficit created when ongoing General Revenue spending exceeds what the state collects within a given fiscal year.
For those who closely follow Missouri’s budget, including the House Budget Committee, nothing in the Auditor’s report is surprising. Our Budget Committee made decisions in the current budget with this reality firmly in mind.
Unlike the federal government, Missouri cannot rely on deficit spending. Our Constitution requires the state budget to balance. While it is true that the budget will ultimately have to adjust once existing surpluses are exhausted, waiting until that point would be neither prudent nor responsible. Doing so could result in unpredictable and potentially severe mid-year cuts that disrupt essential services.
As the Auditor’s report suggests, the more responsible course is to begin addressing these challenges now through thoughtful and increasingly deliberate actions, rather than delaying until there are no alternatives left. I am confident that, working with Governor Kehoe and my colleagues in the House and Senate, we will continue to chart a responsible path toward long-term fiscal sustainability for Missouri.”
The Auditor’s report can be found at https://auditor.mo.gov/AuditReport/ViewReport?report=2025101.